Lead Levels in Tap Water at Licensed North Carolina Child Care Facilities, 2020-2021.

To evaluate lead levels in tap water at licensed North Carolina child care facilities. Between July 2020 and October 2021, we enrolled 4005 facilities in a grant-funded, participatory science testing program. We identified risk factors associated with elevated first-draw lead levels using multiple logistic regression analysis.

Occupation and Semen Parameters in a Cohort of Fertile Men.

Objective: We examined associations between occupation and semen parameters in demonstrably fertile men in the Study for Future Families.

Methods: Associations of occupation and workplace exposures with semen volume, sperm concentration, motility, and morphology were assessed using generalized linear modeling.

Results: Lower sperm concentration and motility were seen in installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.

Associations Between Prenatal Urinary Biomarkers of Phthalate Exposure and Preterm Birth: A Pooled Study of 16 US Cohorts.

Importance: Phthalate exposure is widespread among pregnant women and may be a risk factor for preterm birth.

Objective: To investigate the prospective association between urinary biomarkers of phthalates in pregnancy and preterm birth among individuals living in the US.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Individual-level data were pooled from 16 preconception and pregnancy studies conducted in the US.

Does an endocrinology subspecialty residency rotation enhance resident endocrine clinical knowledge?

Background: Internal Medicine (IM) programs offer elective subspecialty rotations in which residents may enroll to supplement the experience and knowledge obtained during general inpatient and outpatient rotations. Objective evidence that these rotations provide enhanced subspecialty specific knowledge is lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine whether exposure to an endocrinology subspecialty rotation enhanced a resident's endocrinology-specific knowledge beyond that otherwise acquired during IM residency.

Is Food Irrigated with Oilfield-Produced Water in the California Central Valley Safe to Eat? A Probabilistic Human Health Risk Assessment Evaluating Trace Metals Exposure.

Reuse of oilfield-produced water (OPW) for crop irrigation has the potential to make a critical difference in the water budgets of highly productive but drought-stressed agricultural watersheds. This is the first peer-reviewed study to evaluate how trace metals in OPW used to irrigate California crops may affect human health. We modeled and quantified risks associated with consuming foods irrigated with OPW using available concentration data.

A comparative review: Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) research conducted in Latin America versus Asia.

Introduction: The incidence of chronic kidney disease of unknown or uncertain etiology (CKDu) is recognized as a global non-communicable health crisis. The goal of this work is to compare the types of research studies in Latin America and Asia, two regions with increasing CKDu incidence.

Methods: A comparative literature review was conducted to evaluate the CKDu research design for peer-reviewed articles published from 2015 to 2019.

The impact of using low-saline oilfield produced water for irrigation on water and soil quality in California.

The consecutive occurrence of drought and reduction in natural water availability over the past several decades requires searching for alternative water sources for the agriculture sector in California. One alternative source to supplement natural waters is oilfield produced water (OPW) generated from oilfields adjacent to agricultural areas. For over 25 years, OPW has been blended with surface water and used for irrigation in the Cawelo Water District of Kern County, as permitted by California Water Board policy.

Lead in drinking water at North Carolina childcare centers: Piloting a citizen science-based testing strategy.

Background: Drinking water is a lingering hazard in the effort to eliminate childhood exposure to lead (Pb), a neurotoxin that affects cognitive and behavioral development. This study characterized Pb in municipal drinking water at North Carolina, US, childcare centers. The study also demonstrates a scalable, citizen science-based drinking water testing strategy for Pb at childcare centers.

Semen and reproductive hormone parameters in fertile men with and without varicocele.

Although varicoceles are a widely accepted identifiable male factor in infertile couples, the benefit of varicocele repair in improving pregnancy and live birth rates remains uncertain. The Study for Future Families obtained semen and reproductive hormone samples from US men whose partners were currently pregnant. In our analysis cohort of 709 men, a varicocele was detected by clinical examination in 56 (8%) of men.

Predictors of Steroid Hormone Concentrations in Early Pregnancy: Results from a Multi-Center Cohort.

Objectives To identify factors predicting maternal sex steroid hormone concentrations in early pregnancy. Methods The Infant Development and the Environment Study recruited healthy pregnant women from academic medical centers in four US cities. Gold standard liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure maternal sex steroids concentrations (total testosterone [TT], free testosterone [FT], estrone [E1], estradiol [E2], and estriol [E3] concentrations) in serum samples from 548 women carrying singletons (median = 11.

Safeguarding Children's Health: Time to Enact a Health-Based Standard and Comprehensive Testing, Mitigation, and Communication Protocol for Lead in Drinking Water.

Lead was a known toxin before the Roman Empire, yet exposure remains a public health concern today. Although there is no safe lead exposure level, a health-based drinking water standard has not been established. The Clean Water for Carolina Kids Study highlights the need for a health-based standard.

Evaluation and Management of Testosterone Deficiency: AUA Guideline.

Purpose: There has been a marked increase in testosterone prescriptions in the past decade resulting in a growing need to give practicing clinicians proper guidance on the evaluation and management of the testosterone deficient patient.

Materials And Methods: A systematic review utilized research from the Mayo Clinic Evidence Based Practice Center and additional supplementation by the authors. Evidence-based statements were based on body of evidence strength Grade A, B, or C and were designated as Strong, Moderate, and Conditional Recommendations with additional statements presented in the form of Clinical Principles or Expert Opinions (table 1 in supplementary unabridged guideline, http://jurology.

First and second trimester urinary metabolic profiles and fetal growth restriction: an exploratory nested case-control study within the infant development and environment study.

Background: Routine prenatal care fails to identify a large proportion of women at risk of fetal growth restriction (FGR). Metabolomics, the comprehensive analysis of low molecular weight molecules (metabolites) in biological samples, can provide new and earlier biomarkers of prenatal health. Recent research has suggested possible predictive first trimester urine metabolites correlating to fetal growth restriction in the third trimester.

Anogenital distance in newborn daughters of women with polycystic ovary syndrome indicates fetal testosterone exposure.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects ~7% of reproductive age women. Although its etiology is unknown, in animals, excess prenatal testosterone (T) exposure induces PCOS-like phenotypes. While measuring fetal T in humans is infeasible, demonstrating in utero androgen exposure using a reliable newborn biomarker, anogenital distance (AGD), would provide evidence for a fetal origin of PCOS and potentially identify girls at risk.

First-Trimester Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration in Relation to Anogenital Distance, an Androgen-Sensitive Measure of Reproductive Development, in Infant Girls.

Introduction: Evidence from animal models suggests that prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a ubiquitous endocrine-disrupting chemical, is associated with adverse reproductive outcomes in females. Exposure during early gestation, a critical period for reproductive development, is of particular concern. Anogenital distance (AGD) is a sensitive biomarker of the fetal hormonal milieu and a measure of reproductive toxicity in animal models.

The Effect of Intentional Weight Loss on Fracture Risk in Persons With Diabetes: Results From the Look AHEAD Randomized Clinical Trial.

Intentional weight loss is an important treatment option for overweight persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), but the effects on long-term fracture risk are not known. The purpose of this Look AHEAD analysis was to evaluate whether long-term intentional weight loss would increase fracture risk in overweight or obese persons with DM. Look AHEAD is a multicenter, randomized clinical trial.

State of the science review: Potential for beneficial use of waste by-products for remediation of metal-contaminated soil and sediment.

Metal and metalloid contamination of soil and sediment is a widespread problem both in urban and rural areas throughout the United States (U.S. EPA, 2014).

Quest to identify geochemical risk factors associated with chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) in an endemic region of Sri Lanka-a multimedia laboratory analysis of biological, food, and environmental samples.

The emergence of a new form of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) in Sri Lanka's North Central Province (NCP) has become a catastrophic health crisis. CKDu is characterized as slowly progressing, irreversible, and asymptomatic until late stages and, importantly, not attributed to diabetes, hypertension, or other known risk factors. It is postulated that the etiology of CKDu is multifactorial, involving genetic predisposition, nutritional and dehydration status, exposure to one or more environmental nephrotoxins, and lifestyle factors.

Timing of prenatal phthalate exposure in relation to genital endpoints in male newborns.

Prior studies report that penile size and male anogenital distance (AGD), sensitive markers of androgen action in utero, may be shortened by prenatal exposure to certain phthalates, including diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), but no human study has investigated the importance of exposure timing in these associations. The aim of this study was to examine the significance of exposure timing on the action of prenatal phthalates in particular DEHP, on male infant penile size and AGD. In The Infant Development and the Environment Study (TIDES) we measured penile width (PW) as well as anoscrotal distance (AGDAS ) and anopenile distance (AGPAP ) in newborn males.

Phthalate exposure and semen quality in fertile US men.

Several experimental and observational studies have demonstrated the antiandrogenicity of several phthalates. However, there is limited evidence of an association between phthalate exposure in adult life and semen quality. The aim of this study was to examine phthalate exposure during adulthood in relation to semen quality in fertile US men.

Prenatal Stress as a Modifier of Associations between Phthalate Exposure and Reproductive Development: results from a Multicentre Pregnancy Cohort Study.

Background: Prenatal phthalate exposure is associated with altered male reproductive tract development, and in particular, shorter anogenital distance (AGD). AGD, a sexually dimorphic index of prenatal androgen exposure, may also be altered by prenatal stress. How these exposures interact to impact AGD is unknown.

Soy isoflavone metabolism in cats compared with other species: urinary metabolite concentrations and glucuronidation by liver microsomes.

1. Soybean is a common source of protein in many pet foods. Slow glucuronidation of soy-derived isoflavones in cats has been hypothesized to result in accumulation with adverse health consequences.

Comprehensive Cardiovascular Risk Factor Control Improves Survival: The BARI 2D Trial.

Background: It is unclear whether achieving multiple risk factor (RF) goals through protocol-guided intensive medical therapy is feasible or improves outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objectives: This study sought to quantify the relationship between achieved RF goals in the BARI 2D (Bypass Angioplasty Investigation Revascularization 2 Diabetes) trial and cardiovascular events/survival.

Methods: We performed a nonrandomized analysis of survival/cardiovascular events and control of 6 RFs (no smoking, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <130 mg/dl, triglycerides <150 mg/dl, blood pressure [systolic <130 mm Hg; diastolic <80 mm Hg], glycosylated hemoglobin <7%) in BARI 2D.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Partially Mediates Phthalate Association With Male and Female Anogenital Distance.

Context: Prenatal exposure to phthalates disrupts male sex development in rodents. In humans, the placental glycoprotein hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is required for male development, and may be a target of phthalate exposure.

Objective: This study aimed to test the hypothesis that phthalates disrupt placental hCG differentially in males and females with consequences for sexually dimorphic genital development.